"Right. Well. As I said, ladies don't know this sort of thing back home, otherwise they're calledfast. And you don't want to be calledfast."
Dominic scratched his head. "But how dae they know what to dae when they're in bed with a man?"
He had to admit that he was enjoying the way this subject was making Paisley blush. She was doing her best to stay composed and dignified, but it wasn't working.
"Well, if they're lucky, their mother tells them the basic facts shortly before their wedding," she said haughtily. "But mostly they just get told that their husbands will know what to do."
"Ah. So in polite English Society – oh aye, Paisley, I know roughly whereyecame from – they can tell their sons the facts of life, but not their daughters?"
"Yes, that's the long and short of it."
"That doesnae seem fair."
"It isn't." she shrugged, pushing back the sheets and getting to her feet. Her skirts were, unsurprisingly, creased and crumpled, despite her efforts to shake them out.
Dominic climbed out of bed after her, stretching out his cramped limbs. He needed to change the subject, keep her talking.
"The Ceilidh is tonight, by the way." he said lightly. "If ye still want to come, that is."
Paisley bit her lip, watching him. The candlelight filled the room with shadows and a strange, flickering light, making it difficult for him to read her face.
"I would like that very much." she said quietly, and Dominic felt his heart clench. He felt desire for her swirl in his gut again. He wanted to reach out and touch her, pull her close, pull her back down into the bed where they could finish what they'd begun last night.
Stop it,Dominic told himself.The poor lass is trying to leave. She's made that clear.
"A man came lookin' for ye at the pub last night." he heard himself say, not exactly sure why he'd chosen this moment to tell her. He'd probably bring up anything to keep her there a few more minutes.
Paisley's head shot up; her eyes wide. "A man? What man? What was his name?"
"He dinnae leave a name. He was tall, thin, dressed very fine. We thought it was yer da."
The color had drained from Paisley's face. She sat down on the edge of the bed with a thump, hands clutching tightly at the fabric of her gown.
"Paisley?" Dominic asked, a twinge of fear starting up in his chest. He crouched down before her, ducking his head to look in her face. "Paisley, who was that man?"
"Did he speak very politely and smile a lot, as if he knew you from before?" she asked, her voice a raspy whisper.
"Aye, and he had thugs in black with him, too."
She let out a shuddering breath. "Oh, oh no. He's found me."
"Yer da?"
She didn't reply to his question. "Great. Now I have to go back and marry the earl. Well, it was good while it lasted, at least," she whispered, stealing a glance at him. She gave him a bitter smile that Dominic hated.
He pursed his lips, trying to fight back a sudden tide of rage. If only he'd known at the time what her father was planning to do, he would have made himself very clear to the dainty Englishman that Paisley was his, and he and the earl could go- He didn't say all of that to Paisley, of course. Instead, he said:
"I'm sorry to hear that. Have ye considered tellin' them nay?"
Paisley glowered at him. "Yes, I have tried that. I told the earl no, I told my parents no, but it made no difference. You don't say no to a man like that, and he's got Papa backed into a corner. That's why I ran away in the first place. But now they found me, and I... I don't know what to do."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and buried her face in her hands.
Dominic chewed his lip, not sure what to do next. After a moment's hesitation, he reached up and took her hands away from her face. She looked at him, eyes warm and intent.
"I'll nae let them near ye." Dominic said, his voice low. "Trust me, Paisley. Ye came here to be free, and I'll make sure that ye are. Dinnae Thomas say, 'welcome to the family?’ That's whatTheSinneris. It's family. We look out for each other here. I can promise ye that."
Paisley gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Dominic. You're... you're not what I thought you were going to be."
